FaveSave is an quick and easy way to save Internet shortcuts ('Favorites') for Microsoft Internet Explorer from within any application running under Windows 95. In most cases you can save a URL with just two mouse clicks.
Run FaveSave by double clicking its icon 
then switch to your other application.
When you find a URL that you would like to save for later use, simply select the text in which it appears and then copy the text to the clipboard. Some of the text surrounding the URL may include a description that would serve as a filename - be sure to include this in your selection.
You can either copy this text to the clipboard by using the other application's Edit menu then select Copy, or by using [Ctrl] + C.
Now switch back to FaveSave and click the Find URL button; the URL will be displayed in the top edit box (marked URL) and some of the remaining text will be displayed in the bottom edit box (marked Filename) - you can now edit this filename (if you wish) and then save this URL as an Internet shortcut.
See also Select Menu and Customise
The Select Menu gives you several powerful options as to how the remaining text will be selected as a filename. (Note: these options are available to registered users only)
Automatic: In this mode the longer of either the text that is before the URL or the text that is after the URL will be first selected. (This is the default setting).
Text Before URL: In this mode the text that is before the URL will be first selected.
Text After URL: In this mode the text that is after the URL will be first selected.
The above options are obviously mutually exclusive.
Skip HTML: In this mode FaveSave attempts to skip over any HTML tags in the selected text thus reducing any editing required prior to saving. In practice this is very hard to achieve 100% of the time but the majority of HTML tags should be skipped in this mode.
Your default folder (user customisable, see later) is shown in the 'Current Folder' area.
If you click on Quick Save button the URL will be saved as an Internet shortcut in this folder. Please note that if there is an existing file of the same name (unlikely with long filenames) it will be overwritten by the new file.
If you click on Save In button, a standard Windows 95 save dialogue will appear, you may then browse until you find the folder in which you wish to save the current Internet shortcut. This action will also set the default folder to this new folder (until FaveSave is next run) so that all future Quick Saves will be made in this new folder.
There are two areas where customisation is advised. To perform this you will need to edit the file named 'favesave.ini' (which should be in the folder you installed FaveSave in). Open this file with Notepad, it will appear as follows:
[USER]
UserName=
UserFSID=
[OPTIONS]
NameLength=60
DefaultFolder=c:\windows\favorites
The first two entries (in the [USER] section) are to do with registration - you will meet these when you register. The [OPTIONS] section contains two customisable statements.
NameLength=XX limits the filename created by FaveSave to XX characters.
When FaveSave has found a URL it uses either the preceding or following text (see Select menu) as the default filename. If NameLength=XX is set to anything other than 0 the filename will be truncated to the first XX (or last XX) selected characters.
Tip: if you use a little care when first selecting the text, these features can be very useful - either begin or end your selection with a good filename.
DefaultFolder=[Path] is the folder where FaveSave will save when the Quick Save button is clicked.
C:\windows\favorites is created by Windows. It is recommended that you create a sub-folder within this folder (say named 'Internet') and create further sub-folders within this.
In these sub folders you can now save various categories of Internet shortcuts. If you specify one of these sub-folders in the DefaultFolder (say named 'New' or 'FaveSave'), you will find that you can save an Internet shortcut with the absolute minimum of effort.
Please ensure that the folder you specify actually exists.
FaveSave is 'Trustware' (my concept of shareware, see later). The initial versions of FaveSave were fully functional, even if not registered. I soon discovered that I had been too naive! Unfortunately I have found it necessary to limit the functionality and number of uses of FaveSave, but I have to eat, sometimes.
It was with great regret that I did this but experience showed that it was necessary; I believe users will want to register if the price is right and the method foolproof. To further this aim, and to show that I do trust you, I have invented the concept of 'Trustware'.
The idea is simple - you send me some money, then email me to tell me you have done so. I will trust you, I'll then register you as a user and send you a user code to turn off the single 'nag screen'.
If you continue to use FaveSave without registering it will cease to function after 30 uses, registration will restore full functionality and enable some advanced features.
OK - what's the bottom line you ask - well the answer is that there isn't one really. I suggest that you send between five and ten US dollars (or your local equivalent), but please feel free to send what you feel is a reasonable amount, more would be nice!. All I ask is that it should either be notes (no coins please) or a cheque drawn in pounds sterling from a UK bank.
Here are the details you will need; please do these in order:
[1] Put some money (no coins please) in an envelope and stamp it (for the UK)
[2] Address it to: N Mercier, PO Box 59, Cranbrook, Kent, TN18 5ZU, UK
[3] On the back of the envelope write your full name
[4] Post the envelope - this bit is vital!
[5] Email me with the following details:
To: nmercier@dial.pipex.com
Subject: FaveSave registration
Message body:
I, <insert your full name here>, promise that I have sent you <insert amount here> as full registration payment for FaveSave, please add me to your update list (delete if not required) and email me a user code based on my full name.
(The user code will come with instructions on how to use it).
When you click the Find URL button, FaveSave does the following:
It copies the Clipboard text into an internal store.
It then removes all control characters (e.g. line breaks etc.).
It then searches for '://' (which should be in all full
URLs).
If it doesn't find this it searches for a period (a dot) followed
by a non-space character.
(If it doesn't find this, it simply pastes the full clipboard
into the 'filename' edit box).
If it has found a URL, it will then select some of the remaining text as a filename; either the "Text before URL" or "Text after URL" (depending on the option selected in the Select menu). It will then scan through the filename removing illegal filename characters and multiple spaces (and possibly HTML tags). It will then truncate this text to the value selected in the NameLength=XX option and present it as a filename.
Finally, it will copy the text after the URL back onto the clipboard to enable further searches to be made.
The following may help if FaveSave will not find a URL in the text on the Clipboard.
Firstly - have you copied the text to the clipboard, not just
selected it?
Secondly - is there a valid URL in the text (either :// or word.word)?
Thirdly - is there a period before a non-space character before
the short URL?
FaveSave will not find the following URL:
A rogue period.there before a short URL won't work - real.url.is.here
So simply re-select from after the rogue period and try again.
FaveSave will however, find this URL:
A rogue period.there before a full URL is OK- http://real.url.is.here
Also remember to check your options on the Select menu, i.e. if you have selected the "Text before URL" or "Text after URL" option.
Please feel free to contact me with comments or suggestions.
You can reach me by email at nmercier@dial.pipex.com - it would help if you included the word FaveSave in the subject line.